Metal structural toy



June 24, 1930. H. w. GRAVES METAL STRUCTURAL TOY Filed May 28, 1928 Patented June 24,

HENRY w. GRAvEs, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS-7 METALsrRncrURAL TOY I t A pplicatio n nann as, 1928. Serial no; 280,972.

. Y My invention relatesto the'general class of structural toys [consisting of connectors adapted ford interchangeably connecting rods'or strips' so thatstructuresof widely Varying types and sizes can be erected from such elements.

'Generally-speaking, ;the objects of my invention are those of providing simple and inexpensive metal elements' for this purpose 10 which will interlock firmly without; requir- I ing any auxiliary fastening elements, which can lnstantly be lnterlockedor released even by'a child and without the use or any tools,

- .which'will permit relatively flat assemblies of the elements, and.

W smallspace for packing them., I 1

[In my copending application. Nof222,650 entitled Structural toys manna September 24, 1927, Ilhave shown structural toyele- 2D mentscomp'rising strips each h'aving'slotted ends bent out of" the general plane of the strip, and connectors eachformedfor interlocking with strip ends projecting through perforations in the connector. In practice, the structural toy of that' appli'cation has shown these objections The forming of bent parts upon both the strips and the connectorsincreases the cost, the bends on the strips [greatly increase the I space required 1 for packing the latter, andthestrips must ,be'ofxfairly heavy metal to retain their bends at thedesired'angle. t

My present invention aims to overcome all ofl'these shortcomingsffby providing: a

I connector and strip combination in which no bends are required in the strips, thereby permitting these to be flat thinpand compactly packed; and also byproviding a connector and strip combination i i-which each strip'enga-ges the connector facefr'omlwhich the projections on f; the connector extend,

thereby producing a more nearly" flat as-flsembly in which the connections are not so conspicuous. f J

Still further and also more detailed; ob-

I jects will appear from the followingspecification and fromthe'accompanying draw ings, in which 1 Fig. 1 is an elevation of a connector and 59 of a single strip interlocked with it, showing iich will require anlembodiment in -which the companion hook members onthe'connector are disposed in alinement I Fig. 2 is anfenla'rgedand side elevation, taken from the. righthanfd' f an embodiment :in which the companion at a "connector and strip endassembly, showing Q latching elements on theconnector"are par'allehto each other and-'perforatedfito receive projections on thestrip'end'. f Fig; 'Tis a section along the line 7 7 of Fig. 8 isa view'similartoaportion f FigJ, but showing the companion ho'ok elements as v bowed toward each other. 1 Fig.9 is a fragmentary 'pe'rspective'view showing portions of a connector 'and'stripl,

formed as inFigsJltoS, but. wi th the strip end bent at right'angles to the main portion of the strip. f

In the embodiment of Figs. '1 to fl inclu-, sive' my structural toy comprises flat'strips lblanked from resilient steel brother metal,-

with'medialiongitudinal s1otsl2 extending into each strip from' opposite fendsf of I the, v

taken along F the line V strip to divide each strip end into laterally:

spaced arms 3.

The arms 3 at.eachfend or thestriphavej i opposed outwardly opening'edge recesses 4 adapted to be entered respectively by the. f shanks of the hereafter described hook ele- -ments; Each such recess ispre'ferably oral depth slightly less than half the width of the slot 2 between these arms and desirably slightly less than half of the slot width, so, that the 'arms'can be' flexed toward each other to decrease the effective width} Of'thfi strip end by a distance 'at leastequal to the v joint depth of the said opposed *recessesf '3 and each slot of sufficient length .to per mit the arms of the corresponding strip end tobe flexed toward each other for laterally contractingthe strip end to that extentf To'connect such strips in varioustormatime, I provide connectors formed of flat I. sheet metal and provided with pairs of spaced l atching fingers or hookelements,

these pairs of hook elements being counterparts of each other in formation and spacing, and each pair being adapted to interlock with a notched end portion of one of the strips. Thus, Fig. 1 showsa connector comprising two generally fi'at webs 5 and 6 disposed at right angles :to eachother, each web, having a plurality of pairs of hook ,ele-

ments radiating fromapoint'a't or near the I "juncture of that'web to the companion web.

Each hook element has a basal shank 7 of ajthickness substantially equal (or slightly with a clear spacingbetween them correspondingto the normaljdistance between the bottoms of the opposed recesses on the strips, it being understood that the strip ends are all counterparts regardless of variations in" the lengths of the strips; 1

Each hookelement also has-a head or hookping portion SQ prOjecting toward the com- Pi ion ho'okj-',ele ,nent and Presenting a shoulderspaced from" the adjacent face of the connector web by a distance substantially equal uniform thickness ot the r strips.

J after:v which the fresiliency of the strip Vent VVitli the connectors and strips thus formed, anystripend can readily he slipped 'into 'th'e latched position shown in Figs. 1

and 3by'firstldigitally contracting thisend,

spreads its end arms so that the hooks S'of the' adjacent' hook elements overhang opposite sides of thestrip and hold the latter flatwise against the adjacent eonnectorweb, wh lethe spread ng-ofthe arms caus'es the I i oppositely dire 'cfted}recesses a to" be entered e shanks.fl'of the hook elements to pre alongitudinal sliding of the strip; upon the contiguous connector 'webn -Such axconnecnngi a'y be .eifected bysliding' the digit ally' contracted strip end fiatwise along the -connector face,l;as [for example toward the left in Fig. l lfrom the right hand edge of the web .5, and I desirably taper, the outer tip' edges of the strip arms 3to'ward each other (as sh'own in Figs 1 to 3 ).-to facilitatethis. However, the attaching may also be done by first slipping the uncontracted V strip endin laterally tilted position between j opposed connector fingers, as [shownv in dottedlines in Flig. 2,'and then contracting the strip endv digitallyfwhile snapping .it down into its latched'lposition, thus facilirigidly spaced connectors.

increasethe extent to which they oyerhang' tating the interlocking of such strips with Since the attached strlp' endhas portions underhanging each of the hooks 8 of the ad-.

jacent pair of hook elements, and since these hooks have their inward or hooking faces. spaced from the adjacent face of the connector by a distance corresponding substantially to the thickness of thestrip end, the

latter is effectively clamped against the connector, and the entry of the recesses-4 by the strip against longitudinal sliding.

Hence the resulting connection is quite I I strong positive, and also isnot materially affected by sllghtvariatifonsn the dimenslons'ofthe parts, sucha's the ordinary the inner portions of the shanks 7 latches I variation in the exact thickness of the-strip stock} Moreoventhe strips can be ma'nufactured' quite cheaply in any desired lengths with the same tools while the cone nectors are also cheaply blanked and formed from sheet metal. I 7

By using connectorsfhaving two webs at right angles toeach other, withthe paired hook elements on each web tangentialot vasingle circle, I enable the user to1erectstructures with thev strips disposed at a wide ariety of angles. I may attain this variety also by employing single web connectors in connection with both that strips (such a's that of Fig. andlstrips with end'portions bentat rightangl'es tofthemain, part of the strip after the manner'shown in Fig.-

I However, while I hayefheretofore described an embodiment in which the companion hook elementsfare in alinement, I

do not wish ,to be limited to this, since other V arrangements may also be .employedfwithout departing either from the spirit of my invention .orffrom the appended claims.

For example, Figs. land 5 show anembodi ment in which the hook elements ,of each i pair; are parallel to each other and have their shanks 9 in fiatwise engagement withcase, each recessfcorresponds in. length to i the'bottoms of the edgerec'esses 10 in the arms 3 of the adjacent strip end. .In thi's'ff thewidth of one oft-the. shanks 9, andthe hooks 11 desirably project longitudinally. of the strip in bethdirections beyond the said shanks, as shown in Fig. 5. Furthen more, these hooks might be bowed toward each other (as shown at 11A in Fig. ,8) to the adjacent strip arms.

" Soalso, I do not wish,tobelimitedtohay; I

ing the recess portions of the 'interengaging formations on the strips, as these might be on the connectors. ."Thus, Elgsi 6 and-7 show portions of an embodiment, in .iwhich, each striphas opp'ositely directed nubs .12

projecting from its slot-spaced arms 3, and

in which the latchingelements ,on the con nectorweb 5 comprises two parallel wings 13 spaced by the normal width and the strip end and each having a; perforation entered by one of the said 'nubs 12.

a With each, of'the illustrated embodiments,

the connectors can be made of a cheap grade of stiff metal, while an inexpensive grade of steel suffices for the strips, and the latching elements on the connectors can be of such small height as not to be conspicuous 0, in the erected structures.

I claim as my invention: v

'1. A structural toy comprising single piece strips formed of fiat resilient metal having counterpart resilient and laterally contractible fiatend portions, and single piece connectors each having a flat portion and a plurality of integral pairs of latching elements projecting in the same direction at right angles to the face of the said'flat con nector portion, the latching elements ofveach pair being spaced and formed for interlocking with opposite "edge parts of an interposed strip end portion and for retaining the stripend portion closely adjacent to the said fiat connector portion. j r

2, A structuraltoy comprising strips having' counterpart fiat and longitudinally I slotted end portions each provided with-ophook elements projecting in the same diposite edge recesses, and connectors having flatpportions each provided with pairs of rection from. a face thereof, eachpair. of

hook elements comprising shanks spaced for respectively entering the opppsite edge recesses on one strip-end portion and hook heads extending toward each other beyond the shanks, the hook heads being spaced from I the said connector face by substantially the thickness of one ofthe strip-end portions. 1

3. A structural toy comprisingflat strips having counterpart longitudinally slotted.

end portions each provided with opposite edge recesses, and connectors having fiat portions each provided with pairs of hook elements projecting in the same direction from a face thereof, each pair of hook ele ments being formed from the adjacent/flat portion of the connector and shaped both for extending into one of the strip edge recesses and for overhanging the strip to clamp the latter against the said flat con- 1 nector portion.

4. A structural toy comprising resilient strips having counterpart ends, and connectors each having a plurality of latching means for interlocking with; one of the strip ends; each stripbeing longitudinallyslotted from each end and provided near each end with oppositely directed edge recesses of a depth less than half the width of one of the said slots; each of the latching means comprising a pair offingers bent from the connector in the same direction away from a face of the connectorandspaced by a dis-.

tance substantially equal} to the width' tween the opposed recessbottoms in a strip end, each such f finger having aaw'idened head spaced from the said face 'by'a' distance.

substantially corresponding to the thicknessof a strip and disposed forover'hanging a strip end interposecbbetween the two fingers v ,7 s

A1 structural toy; comprising. resilient strips -hav'ing counterpart ends, and connectors each havinga plurality of latching means for interlocking with one of; the strip ends; each strip being longitudinally slotted H from each end and providednear each end withtwo oppositely disposed and outwardly open edge're'cesses of -adepth'less" than half thewidthof one of the said slots;

each of the latching-meanscomprising a V pair of fingers bent from theconnector in the same dlrection away from a face of the connector and spaced by a dlStflllCQ substantially equal to thedistance between the v bottoms of the two oppositely disposed re-x cesses in a strip end; each such finger hav ing an edge portion. adapted to entero'ne of the recesses ina strip end interposed betweenthat finger and the companion finger of the same pair, each finger also having'a head adapted to overhang such interposed strip end and'spaced from the said connector. face by a distance substantially corresponding .to the thickness of a strip.

6. A structural toy member formed of sheet metal and having a pluraltiy of pairs of freely spaced hooks projecting at rightfrom the flat face portion being disposed with the flat faces of each pair in alinement and at equal distances from a comthat-common center. s

7. structural toy comprising single piece strips of resilent metal having counterpart flat and laterally contractible end por tions, and connectors; each formed of a single piece of sheet metal, each connector mon center and at right angles to radii from 7v having a fiat portion and a plurality of counterpart pairs of hook elements project- 1 ing' in the same direction atright angles to the face of the said flat portion; each hook element having a portion spaced from V the said face and disposed foroverhanging a strip end portion interposed between this hook element and the companion hook element of the same pair so as to hold the in-' terposed strip end portion against the face of the fiat connector portion from which the two hook elements project, the two hook elements of each pair having opposed vedge I poitions' ifonnied for interlocking QWith 'the V strip having tions'.

c ontractible,- and havingeach end portion provided withiopposed lateral edge for-niastrip end portion-interposed between them to prevent longitudinal movement of the V 8, :structni al g'toy comprising single piecesheet metal connectors {having counterpart formations and fiat single-piece resilient-metal stripshaving counterpart ends;

each such strip having each end thereof lon-f gitudinally slotted to make it laterally tions spaced from its tip; each of the said conntenpart formations on a connector =con1- prlslng a'palrc of projectionsaspaced to pert- Inita strlprend :to 'be inserted edgewise be tween them when the strip end is laterally contracted, the projections beingf formed V both'dfor interlockingwith the opposed-edge formations onthe interposed strip end and for retaining 'theflstrip end ,fiatwise closely 7 adj acentto the' portion ofthe connector a-d- V jacentito the projections.

Signed at Chicagmlllinois, May 25th;

1928. l HENRY W. GRAVES.

the said interposed- ,end por- 

